Pea shoots come from none other than the pea plant. Shocker, right? Usually the delicate tendrils come from snow or sugar snap pea varieties, but any garden pea variety will produce them. It may seem like pea shoots have always been a part of your spring menu -- but at least in the United States, they’ve only been dressing up our plates for a couple of decades. In Leafy Greens, Mark Bittman writes that “pea shoots were “discovered” by chefs and soon thereafter by home cooks in 1992.”

To stem any confusion, the pea shoots we’re talking about today are made up of a few inches of delicate leaves (1), tendrils (2), and occasionally buds or blossoms; you'll find them as pea tendrils, pea greens, or pea tips, too. A mixup can occur, though, when you find pea sprouts mislabeled as pea shoots. The sprouts are lighter green and are generally a long thin stem and two tiny leaves; pea shoots are a further along, more mature version of the plant.

What to Look For and How to StoreChoose pea shoots that look fresh and are free from bruised, wilted, or discolored leaves. Given their short season, your best bet for finding pea shoots will be to visit your farmers market -- though you might find them at a Chinese market or restaurant, as well. It's easy to visually tell the difference between pea shoots and pea sprouts if you're shopping at the market, but take heed if you're ordering take-out. The naming confusion continues: pea shoots’ Chinese names (dou miao and dau miu) can refer to either the sprouts or the shoots.

Once you track them down, use your pea shoots quickly -- within a day or two. Wrap them in a paper towel and place them in an open plastic bag (3) in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use them, gently wash and discard any large stems.

How to Grow Your OwnMake the most of your kitchen, and have pea shoots on hand at all times by growing your own -- The Yellow House walks you through the process step-by-step. Just make sure you stick to your windowsill for the optimal growing location. Given that pea shoots are the precursors to pea pods, if you’re growing peas outside in your garden, practice restraint when harvesting tendrils. Take too many, and you’ll compromise the number of pods you get later.

How to UsePea shoots are best handled with a light touch. Their delicate crunch and sweet flavor make a snappy addition to salads, sandwiches, or as a garnish for pretty much anything. Or, lightly cook them with garlic and give scrambled eggs a springy twist. We’ve had multiplediscussions on the Hotline that are packed with suggestions, and we've got a week's worth of options, too:

Love pea shoots more than anything. I used to get 3 bunches a week (for $1 each!) at the Santa Monica farmers market, but since moving back to DC, it's like $4 for half as much and all the pea shoots are woody. Wah. Got to grow my own. I just saute them with some garlic and maybe a little lime juice. Simple, easy, delicious. Great on top of eggs for brunch.

Food transparency just means knowing where your food comes from - how the meat was raised, how the produce was grown, who did the raising and the growing, etc. I'm sure it's something you're very familiar with, just with a different label. Cara Rosaen, the Co-Founder of Real Time Farms, gave a great TED talk on food transparency last year. If you have 12 minutes to spare, you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com...